Category Archives: Unfortunate Happenings
British “Villain” Caught On Tape
If you just watched this video, you are probably just as angry as when I first watched it. This tugged on my heartstrings in that, although I am not a pet owner, I felt the greatest sympathy for this helpless cat which was baited and trapped in a wheelie garbage can.
In the scheme of world events, this story does not even compare to events such as the recent activity in the Congo or crises in the Middle East. Nevertheless, as MSNBC’s Helen A.S. Popkin writes, “sometimes you just have to make a stand, sit down at your computer, and click a Like button on Facebook to let the whole world know that you are against putting perfectly good tabby cats in wheelie garbage bins.”
Frozen T-Shirt Control 101
As a member of the West Virginia SADD Student Leadership Council, we have retreats to plan out the annual conference. This year, our retreat is at Pipestem Resort State Park. It’s now day 2 of our leadership retreat.
Pipestem has many activities, but you would never guess just which activity caused the yellow caution tape to be placed where a window was at one time. Believe it or not, it was not ping pong. Our council was participating in an icebreaker that of which a small group must open a t-shirt that has been dipped in water and frozen. It is each group’s goal to open the frozen t-shirt in the shortest amount of time and have one of the group members wear it.
Everything was going alright until a t-shirt was placed in a bag and slung against a stone wall. I first thought that is was a great idea since much of the ice would break off. The only unforseen problem was that the bag had a hole in it. I happened to turn around at just the moment that the t-shirt released from the confines of the bag and went through the glass window. Although the young lady that broke the glass didn’t find the whole ordeal amusing, the rest of us are left with a nice memory of trying to explain to a security guard that “a frozen t-shirt when through the window.”
Uh Oh. Snow.
I had heard earlier this week about a storm that was supposed to bring a lot of snow to the area, but I thought that the prediction of 1-3 feet seemed a little extreme and unrealistic. Snow has been the last thing on my mind. Yesterday, however, I definitely gained a greater respect for meteorologists and the meaning of Winter Storm Warning.
When I walked into my last class yesterday, my teacher was watching the Weather Channel. I saw a predicted Winter Storm Warning, but didn’t read the details. I began to wonder if my friends’ claims that we were getting a lot of snow were legit. I looked out the window and saw a very green landscape.
About the time I looked outside, an announcement came over the intercom cancelling all activites in the evening. I really thought everyone was truly blowing this out of proportion. They had even cancelled the girls basketball game which I was scheduled to be the play-by-play announcer. At about 2:20 P.M. I look outside only to find the green landscape evolving into a light snowfall.
What surprised me the most was how the snow was already sticking to the parking lot asphalt. Nevertheless, I didn’t think much about it as I left the school. I arrived home at about 3 P.M. I had two objectives: take care of some business at the bank and pick up a package at FedEx. I told Mom as I left that I should be back home by 3:45.
I knew as I was driving toward the town of Beaver that I was in for a fun commute home. I was passing what looked to be like New York City rush hour. Cars were lined up as far as I could see. When I turned into the bank parking lot, I was the only customer (lucky me). I managed to get in and out fairly quickly. Next stop: FedEx.
The route between the bank and FedEx is a steep, although, normally passable one. I saw my dad in oncoming traffic creeping down the hill at not more than 5 miles per hour. I started worrying. Not much later, I made it to FedEx and picked up my package. Now, to help you envision my short route from FexEx to my house, here is a map:
Another fun fact to point out is how the trip, estimated at 7.46 miles, is predicted to take 15 minutes. I left FedEx speeding along in first gear traveling at whatever speed the car travels when it’s idling. I call Mom and tell her I may be a few minutes late. As I drove down the same hill that Dad was creeping down minutes earlier, traffic came to a stop. It was about 3:45 as I’m stopped on the hill. Come to find out, cars were yielding to one of the many wrecks taking place in Beaver.
About an hour later, I made it to the intersection of Rt. 19 and Airport Road. I managed to swing through a shopping center parking lot to save around 20-30 minutes. At about 4:30, I decided to pull of at a convenience store and pick up some food. This wasn’t a bad decision. Mainly out of boredom and since I was basically parked on Route 19, I managed to have a chicken salad sandwich, Lunchables pizza, beef jerky, and a cup of hot chocolate. About every half mile I would pass a car in a ditch or a vehicle stalled on the road.
A little bit after 5 o’clock, I pulled off at a grocery store to pick up milk and donuts. I left the store at 5:30 and somehow made it home a little before 6.
All-in-all, it was a relaxed, peaceful drive home. I did come to find out later that evening that others had it way worse than I. From elementary school children being boarded at the local fire station to cars stuck on the highways and byways throughout the state to people not having power, I considered myself very blessed to make it home safe and on the same day I departed.
If you have a story about how you were/are stranded or how your home became a hotel, comment below!
I HOPE You Never Ask This PRICELESS Question
This summer, I had the privilege of spending three weeks in Washington, D.C. I had visited before, but being older, I was able to take from it a greater appreciation. It’s almost surreal being in Washington; imagining that the most powerful people in the country work within a 10-mile radius. One of the most interesting experiences that I had in Washington occurred within the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.
Within the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, the Hope Diamond rests in its own case. When I walked into the room that hosted the Hope Diamond, I couldn’t see it because of all the people. After much work, I squeezed myself into the group of people surrounding the casing. It truly did surprise me how different the Hope Diamond was from how I imagined it; I always thought it would be this shiny clear rock comparable to the size of a fist. In reality, it was about the size of a gumball and wasn’t clear, but purple!?
My curiosity began to kick in. As I’m looking at this rock encased in about three inches of bullet proof glass, I start to wonder exactly what the value of the diamond is. I look around and see a guard standing against a wall.
I approach the guard and ask, “How much is the Hope Diamond worth?” He says, “It’s priceless.” I obviously didn’t think was a reasonable answer, so I asked again in a sort of different way, “How much money is the Hope Diamond worth?” Again, I hear the reply, “It’s priceless.”
Seeing that I’m not going to get an answer out of this guy, I thank him for his time, and then search for someone else to answer my question. On the other side of the room, there stood another guard. I casually walked up and asked the same question: “How much money is the Hope Diamond worth?” He responded, “Your life.” This time, however, I took the hint and moved on.
For the record, Diamond Cutters value the price of the Hope Diamond at $250,000,000.
A College Application Nightmare
This evening, I (unintentionally) submitted my first college application. I was excited… making final preparations and about to insert my personal essay. On the side of the online application, there were check boxes marking what I had completed and what needed to be finished. All boxes were checked except for the writing section and the payment.
I decided that it would be a good idea to submit the payment for the application fee so that I would be able to submit the application anytime I wished. I typed in the credit card information and clicked “Submit.” The next page was horrifying.
“At this time, our records indicate that you have successfully submitted your application and paid your application fee. No more edits will be accepted on the application.”
That line made my stomach sink. I quickly E-Mailed the admissions department and left a couple messages. Because it’s Saturday, I will have to wait until offices reopen Monday. So, if you happen to read this tonight, take heed in knowing that this issue still hangs in the balance of admissions officers. This problem should be resolved easily, but the feeling of uncertainty seems to keep surfacing.
Lesson: If you are submitting a college application online, do not submit a payment unless you are completely finished with your application. Submitting a payment is comparable to dropping your application in the mail.
Update: Everything worked out for the best. The college was very understanding and unlocked my application again so I can add my personal statement, fix my religion, and copyedit.
ATM, Hunger, Exhaustion
This weekend I was celebrating a friend’s birthday. The party was for a girl, and she decided to have a sleepover. Because she was a girl, all of the guys (myself included) had to leave after her dad left.
By the time I left, it was about one o’clock in the morning. I got a case of the munchies and decided to stop by McDonald’s. But, being the “responsible and aware” young person that I am, I wanted to go to the ATM and check my balance before I used my debit card.
Once at the ATM, I went through motions of entering my security information, when finally, the receipt with my balance surfaced, and I saw that I had more than enough to enjoy my midnight feast.
I went ahead and drove next door and went through the drive through. I gave my order, and pulled up to the window. Opening up my wallet to pay, however, made my stomach drop. I had quickly come to the realization that I had never taken my debit card from the machine. I told the clerk that I would be right back and I ran (literally) next door to my bank’s ATM. Needless to say, it wasn’t there.
I went back to my car and told the clerk what had happened. He was very understanding, but without any cash to my name, I had to leave without my chicken nuggets 
I drove home nauseously worried. I hoped that the ATM had eaten the card, but the possibility still existed that it had been stolen. As soon as I arrived home, I ran up to my room and called MasterCard. After the third connection, I was directed to the correct agent who cancelled my card. Thankfully, no transactions were reported.
Maybe I was just tired, maybe I was just excited for some McDonald’s, or maybe it was a combination of both. However it happened, I never got my food and now have to wait two weeks for a new card. I don’t really know if there’s a moral to this story, but I do know this could have been much worse.
Update: Great news. I dropped by my bank on the next business day. I told them what happened and a couple days later I received my card in the mail.
First Day of Golf Tryouts
This week marks the start of high school fall sports. Today, marked the first day of golf for my school. I realized that the amount of time that I was out of town this summer really did put a hindrance on my golf game. For today’s tryouts, I didn’t necessarily play bad, but I was a little rusty.
Today was one of my days off from work, but because they need additional staff, I was called in. Of course, as I finally turned in around two o’clock last night, I expected to be able to sleep until at least ten. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
Despite all odds, I still managed to fall somewhere in the middle of the golf scores. I didn’t play my best, but I definitely know that I—as a rested body with energy—will be able to play better tomorrow.
Radiation Scare
Because my dad is a principal, we get some inconvenient calls at very inconvenient hours. At 1:41 A.M. today, our phone rang with “Emergency Calling” showing on the caller ID. I happened to be up watching TV at the time, so I was the first to answer. The man on the other side says, “We are trying to reach the principal of Meadow Bridge High School.” Dad then takes over.
Apparently, a semi-trailer truck carrying radioactive material turned over on I-64 around Sandstone Mountain in Sandstone, West Virginia. They wanted to open Meadow Bridge High School as a fallout shelter. Because my dad is the principal, he needed to go.
The next thing I know, all of the lights in the house are on. I turned on the coffee, gathered the emergency radios, and found my camera. Within 15 minutes, Dad was out the door and on his way to Meadow Bridge. One problem: the shortest drive to Meadow Bridge is on the road with the spill, so Dad had to travel an alternate route that took about an hour—a half hour longer than taking I-64.
A few people from the school and local emergency response centers called our house with updates. Around 2:45 A.M., I heard for the first time that the emergency was called off. I called the Summers County response center around 3:00 A.M. They confirmed that the emergency had been called off, evacuees were being sent back home, and vehicles were allowed to pass through the area.
At the present time, Dad is on his way back home (hopefully driving on I-64) and everyone is safe. This could have been a lot larger of a problem than it turned out to be. Kudos to all persons involved in the emergency response effort. Since it’s now 3:36 A.M., I’m heading to bed.
